Method of making wheel hubs



E. E. EINFELDT.

4METHOD 0F-MAKING"WHEEL*'HBS.

APPupAUoN FILED Novl 3. 1919.

1 ,409, 2 1 3 Patented' Mar. `14", 1922.

EMV 11 N :UNITED STATES PATENT oFEicE.

EitNEs'r E. EINEELDT, 0E DAVENPORT, iowA, A*AssierNoia-iro er.r WATSONFRENCH,

NATHANIEL FRENCH, JOSEPH L. HEOHT, AND, W. H.

STACKHOUSE, 0F DAVEN- PORT, IOWA, ('JO1V.\I}?OSI1\TGy FIR-M OF FRENCH &HECHT.

`iiiE'iHon oEiviAxrNe WHEEL HUBS.

Orig'inalA application filed April 15,

This invention relates to the manufacture l of tubular Vmetal wheelhubs, more particularly of the form in which a circumferential groove orspoke chamber is provided to receive the heads 'on' the inner ends ofthe spokes, by which the latter are rivet-ed to the hub, the object otthe invention being to provide a hub of great strength"anddurabilitywhich will withstand' the severe strains imposed upon' it inthe use ofthe wheel, especially atthe points wherethe spokes `are secured to thehub Vith these ends .in view my invention consists ot an improvedmetliodot' forming the hub. in which method a plate or Vblank is coiledor bent'on itself `into cylindrical form and the convolutions arecaused-.to interlock .with-v each other by interftting protuberances andcavities on the respective convolutio'ns, whereby there is formed areintorcedspoke chamber on the interiorot' the hub` The interlockingr ofthe convolutions may be brought about in various 'ways'. For instance,the blank may be provided with a groove in one side and a correspondingrib orv pro'ti'iberan'ce on the other side and coiled on itself to causethe protuberance on the inner convolution to register with and seat onthe groove on the next outer convolution; or the grooves andprotuberances may be formed and caused to linterlock at the same timethat the blank is coiled; or again the grooves and protuberances may beformed and cause to interlock after a plain blank has been coiled intocylindrical form.

I prefer however to adopt the first plan mentioned, and in theaccompanying drawings I have illustrated a forni of blank suitable forthe purpose. It will be understood `however that the invention is notlimited to y'Specificatien of I .eteisraptentl Patented Mar. 14C, 1922.

1919, Serial No. 290,276. Divided and this application filed November3,-1919. Serial No. 385,494. y

this-particular plan, but in its broader scope as claimed, the-inventionembraces as well the alternateplans above mentioned.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. l is a plan view oi' a blank for iorming ahub in-accoi-dance withthe preferred manner of carrying out my improved method.

Fg. 2 is `a longitudinal section through the completed hub produced bymymethod, the spokes being shown as riveted thereto.

F ig. 3 is an end view of the same, with parts broken away.

Fig. t is an edge view ot' the blank of Fig. l.

- Referring to the drawings YIn the accompanying drawings I haveillustrated my invention as applied to the formation of a hub having twocircumferential-spoke chambers to receive the heads on the inner ends oftwo rows or ranks of spokes, but it will be manifest that the inventionis not limited to the formation of a hub ot this iorin, but it isapplicable vas well to a hub formed with but a single circumicrentialchamberto receive a single row or rank oit-spokes.

In carrying my invention -into effect, in connection with a hub ot thevform illustrated, I provide a iiat metal plate or blank l. havingtherein two straight parallelV` groovesl 2 formed by bending the metalof the blank outwardly in two `parallel lines `or areas. andtherebyproducing on the opposite side ot the blank, two ribs orprotuberances 3 corresponding in location toa the grooves. The blankthus formed is next, by suitable means or instrumentalities, bent orcoiled upon itself into cylindrical form, thereby producing a number ot'convolutioiis or layers arranged one within the other, there being inthe present instance two convolutions, an inner one l and an outersurrounding one 5 as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, which eonvolutions havecircumferentially extending inner grooves and correspondingcircumierentially extending outer protuberances. In the coiling orbending operation, these grooves and protuberances are caused toregister with each other in the successive convolutions, theprotubera-nce on the inner convolution seating in the inner groove onthe surrounding next outer convolution, thereby interlocking the twoconvolutions with each other. As a result of this mode of procedure, acylindrical hub structure is produced having on its interiorcircumferential grooves or spoke chambers, which in the Vcompleted wheelwill receive the heads 7 on Welding the contiguous surfaces of theconvolutions; or dependence may be placed on the connection of thespokes thereto,y which spokes, as shown, are extended at their in@ nerends through registering openings in the two convolutlons, and areriveted to the vsame by the inner heads 7 before alluded to, and' outershoulders 9, which latter bear against the outer side of the outer coil.

The hub structure formed as above ASet forth, being made from sheet orplate metal, is economical to manufacture, and by reason of the severalconvolutions or layers of material surrounding each other, and theinter-l litting of the grooves yand protuberances, a

structure of great strength and resistingV properties is produced.V

It vvill be obvious that in forming a hub to accommodate but a singlerovv of spokes, the procedure Would be the same as that set forth above,except that instead of the blank being formed with two grooves andcorresponding'protuberances, it Would have but a single groove and acorrespondingk protuberance.

' Instead of forming the spoke chamber as a contlnuous circumferentialgroove, 1t may be made up of a number of cavities and correspondingprotuberances to receive the'ends of the individual spokes, and theconvolutions caused to interlock with each other by the fitting of theprotuberances on an inner VWheel hubs convolution in the registeringcavities on a surrounding convolution.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is as follows: u

1. The method of making tubular metal Wheel hubs, Which method consistsin providing a blank, forming a cavity in one side thereof and acorresponding protuberance on Athe other side,coiling said blank onitself to cause the protuberance on aninner convolution to seat in thecavity inFthe' surrounf ingconvolution to interlock said convolutionswith each other and thereby form a reenforced spoke chamber on theinterior Vof the hub,'and\fastening said co-nvolutions together in theirinterlocked relations to preserve the tubular form of the same.

2. The method of making vtubular metal Wheel hubs With circumferentialspoke chambers, Which method consists in providing a blank, forming agroove in one side thereof and a corresponding protuberance on the otherside, coiling said blank on itself to cause theprotuberanceon an innerconvolution to seat in the groove in the surrounding convolution andthereby interlock the convolutions with each other to produce acircumferential spoke chamber on-the interior of the hub, and fasteningsaid convolutions together to preserve the tubular form ofthe hub.

3. The method of making tubular metal With circumferential spokechambers, which method` consists in providing a blank, forming a groovein` one side thereof extending throughout the length of the blank and acorresponding protuberance on the other side, coiling said blankon'its'elf into cylindrical form to causeV thel protuberance on an innerconvolutionto seat'in a groove on the nextY outer convolution, therebyinterlocking the convolutions ivith Veach other and producing a.circumferential spoke chamberV on the interior of the hub, and fasteningsaid convolutions togetherl to preserve the tubular form of thehub,

In testimony whereof, signature hereto.

'nenn-srs. sinFianna.V

l have aiixed mv

